Stamens

6x2.5 fluid acrylics and white gel pen on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper done a few days ago using leftover paint on paper scrap, making a floral abstract with focus on the stamens. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Barn Owl Secrets

9.5x6.5 mixed media on old dictionary page done yesterday. After a pencil sketch, I outlined the barn owl with black India ink and walnut ink using a wooden chopstick. Acrylic inks used to color in feathers and Montana markers used for background. Micron 05 pen used for feather details. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Pumpjack Stormy Skies

11x15 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press rough paper completed over the weekend, a west Texas landscape at dusk with a pumpjack working hard. Stormy skies are overhead and nighttime is approaching in this dramatic oilfield from one of my petroleum photos. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Blooming Strawberry

11x15 watercolor on Magnani 140 lb cold press paper just completed from a fresh bloom of the fruit which is not classified as a real berry, such as a blueberry. I like the bright sun drenched clay pot against the red fruit and dark background. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Sleeping Midge

4x6 watercolor and Micron 01 pen on a magazine insert card done for an online cat challenge.This is Midget, who goes by Midge, all curled up in her kitty pet bed that is really brown in color. (She's a rescue kitty from our town's kill shelter in 2011). I used a card from F+W Publications' Drawing magazine that I subscribe to for this cat pet portrait. Whiskers were painted around and not masked. I did not plan for Drawing to be across her white fur, it is just how it worked out. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Fall Fruit & Leaves

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch premium 140 lb cold press paper completed today for another online WetCanvas challenge; image courtesy Susan/tyree. Participants have 2 hours to choose an image provided and sketch or paint their selection. I thought the fall leaves behind the fruit on a glass plated basket was too colorful to pass up. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Baby Sloth

4.5x4.5 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press sketched and painted a few days ago, just a baby sloth from one of my zoo photos. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Brown and White Dog with Ball

5.25x8.25 mixed media using ballpoint pen, acrylics, gel pen, and watercolor on old book page in my junk journal done several days ago for another online challenge. Image courtesy EP/WetCanvas. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Harvest Hay Wagon

15x22 watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press paper, painted wet in wet from a photo taken in Midland at Alldredge Gardens. Trying to be loose and a bit abstract, I put in fresh hot colors on the cool wet paper, let blend, then finished the haystalks around the fat pumpkins. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Harvest Wagon

5x7 ink on Bristol board using a black Tombow brush pen and water for a 3 value sketch showing a wagon, pumpkins, and hay scene from one of my harvest photos. This value sketch to be used to create a watercolor. Since tomorrow is the first day of fall/autumn I thought it appropriate. This is matted with an 8x10 black mat. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Baby Gazelle

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch premium 140 lb cold press paper of a very young baby gazelle, done for an online challenge featuring this animal. Such grace they have when trying to outrun predators with their very long legs. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Mink

8x8 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals on Masters Touch 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago. Painted wet on dry, this young mink's coat is glowing with color surprises throughout. Using the watercolor crystals I used black. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Navy Blue Dragonfly

9x12 watermedia winged insect dragonfly on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done day before yesterday. I used both watercolor and Brusho crystals in two different blues, a yellow, and a green. Brusho crystals are very intense when wet and applied with a brush as in this imaginary scene. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Nightingale

8.25x5.25 watercolors in junk journal done last week using black Uniball Vision Elite pen followed by watercolor applications in this simple bird painting. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Tulip Times

7.75x3.25 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press painted a few days ago as a short demo, outlining ways and applications for watermedia in this imaginary floral scene of a variegated tulip. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Thirteen Lined Squirrel in Grass

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch premium watercolor paper done a few weeks ago at end of August, another in my series of wildlife smaller animals Stay tuned for more to come. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Kitten Exploration ~ junk journal mixed media

8.25x5.25 mixed media collage just finished in junk journal, a 1950s vintage book using Micron 01 ink pen to sketch. Next I collaged a grouping of red poppies with matte medium, and added watercolor to the tuxedo kitten. White gel pen and tube acrylic paint used on whiskers and white fur. Lastly, red Montana acrylic marker was added to the background. Note the kitten's mama in the background while he explored the flowers. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Reenie

8.25x5.25 mixed media in junk journal done yesterday. Sketched in multilead colored pencils, I used Crayola markers, watercolors, white gel pen and collage (right side vertical) for this image, courtesy WetCanvas Weekend Drawing Event. This was painted over gessoed paper in the journal and was an event timed online for under 2 hours. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Wistful Stray Kitty

6x6 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper painted again after another version a few years ago. I love this kitty's golden eyes so translucent and her bright pink interior ear. The look in her eyes may be saying 'adopt me' or 'when is my next meal?' Background is a mix of two opaques (they say never to mix more than one) Payne's Grey and Blue Bice which is a nice cool and soft tone to contrast with the golden colors in the cat's fur and eyes. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Peach Layered Bloom

6x4 alcohol inks on glossy photo paper done as a short demo this past Monday in a class. I used peach light colored ink to begin this floral then followed with darker inks. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Young Fox Kit

4x6 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper of a young fox kit exploring his wooded area; ref courtesy WetCanvas. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Blue Dragonfly

6.25 x 8.75 watercolor on Italia Magnani 140 lb. cold press paper finished yesterday, another winged insect in this series of dragonflies. I've included minimal objects such as the twig/branch to focus more on the lovely colored flyer. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Calico Cat Caper ~ demo

16x12 mixed watermedia demo done today for the Midland Palette Club. After sketching with a carpenter's pencil, I used White Nights watercolors, Brusho watercolor crystals, liquid acrylics, India ink, alcohol markers, Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax crayons, some collage and a floral stencil for the background by Stencil Girl. A saying at the bottom left is collaged onto the yellow/gold area that says, "There's no such thing as an ordinary cat". White gel pen used for hair and whiskers. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Arizona Jackrabbit

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch Premium 140 lb cold press paper completed yesterday; ref courtesy fellow artist Kathy S. in Arizona. I admire how the rabbit blends in with his desert surroundings and the only obvious color is in his backlit ears by the morning sun. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Ink Dragonfly

8.5x11 black ink on alcohol ink abstract background on Stonehenge slick paper, a very time consuming piece in another of my dragonfly series. I used a STA Lictin 0.8 pen for the winged insect line work. For the alcohol inks I used Aqua and Botanical Green along with Sunbright Yellow. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Crimson Bloom in Junk Journal

8.25x5.25 mixed media in re-purposed junk journal, an old hardback book from 1950. For this funky floral I used a Stencil Girl stencil for the flower and dusted it with crimson Brusho wc crystals then added water. Other media used were watercolor, collage of cocktail napkin, Montana acrylic marker for background, acrylics, crayon, colored pencils, and real leaves used as stamps after coating with green watermedia. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Trumpet Man

12.25x8.5 watercolor and Brusho wc crystals painted today for another weekend drawing event in which participants have 2 hours to do their artwork. I first used burnt sienna and light brown Brusho sprinkled onto wet areas of the trumpet player's face then followed by neck, hands, and arm. The blue plaid shirt and background were last and my total time was 1 hour 50 minutes. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Funky Cow

11x14 mixed media collage on matboard, a reworked Holstein cow done previously that I finished yesterday. I used paper collage on the black and white areas only. The cow was a large fake head I saw in an antique store. Mod Podge was used as my adhesive. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Siamese Face

8x5.5 mixed watermedia on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done yesterday. I used CaliArt markers, Brusho watercolor crystals, and colored pencils in this contemporary cat pet portrait. I mixed dark and medium brown colors of Brusho and applied them with a brush. This is a frontal view of my Jezebel whom I had for 18 years, too short a time actually. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Brazilian Girl

8.5x5.5 India ink on sketchbook (Masters Premium) done over the weekend. Ref courtesy of WetCanvas for the Weekend Drawing Event. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith